In total, the extended editions of the three Lord of the Rings movies clock in at 11 hours and 42 minutes. The books on which they are based feature a combined total of just 1,241 pages (excluding appendices). That works out at just shy of 34 seconds of screen time per page. With this in mind, one would be forgiven for thinking that the movies cover absolutely everything from the books. One would be very much mistaken though.
Throughout the Lord of the Rings books, there are a plethora of characters that never made it into the movies. Some are fairly insignificant, but others play a major role in the story. For whatever reason though, Peter Jackson and his team of writers opted to cut these crucial characters. In doing so, they deprived fans of the books of seeing some of their favorite characters on the big screen.
10 Radagast The Brown
The Hobbit movies take a lot of creative liberties when it comes to casting. One of the more noticeable additions is Radagast the Brown. Aside from a few passing mentions, Radagast doesn’t play a significant role in the book. In the movies, however, he appears on numerous occasions. This may have been a way of stretching out the story, but it could just as easily have been Peter Jackson’s way of correcting an earlier mistake.
Radagast plays an important role in the events of the Lord of the Rings books and yet doesn’t appear once in the film trilogy. In the books, it is Radagast that first warns Gandalf that the Nazgûl are abroad. It is also he who informs Gandalf that Saruman wishes to speak with him, which leads to the wizard’s eventual imprisonment in Isengard. Radagast later makes amends for this, however, by helping Gandalf to escape.
9 Fredegar ‘Fatty’ Bolger
Fatty is one of Frodo’s closest friends and helps him to move from Bag End to his new home at Crickhollow. He is also one of the few people who knows that Frodo is in possession of the ring. Despite this, he’s relegated to a background character in the movies. This wasn’t always the plan though, as he did appear more prominently in early drafts of the first movie’s script.
In the book version of The Fellowship of the Ring, Fatty stays in Crickhollow in an attempt to hide Frodo’s absence. This plan very nearly backfires, however, as one of the Nazgûl turns up a short while later. Fatty also plays a big role later on when Saruman takes control of The Shire. As this too was cut from the movies though, there really was no real need for another Hobbit.
8 Bill Ferny
Saruman has spies all throughout Middle Earth. While this is touched upon in the movies, the only one that viewers are formally introduced to is Gríma Wormtongue. In the books, however, viewers also meet Bill Ferny. Bill first encounters the Hobbits at the Prancing Pony and later reports their whereabouts to the Nazgûl. Towards the end of the story, he also helps Saruman to invade the Shire.
Given the similarities between Bill and Wormtongue and the removal of the aforementioned events, it’s perhaps not surprising that the writers opted to cut him from the movies. He’s instead replaced with several shifty-looking gentlemen at the Prancing Pony, any one of whom could have reported the Hobbits’ location to the Nazgûl offscreen.
7 Thranduil
Another character from the Hobbit trilogy that was absent from the Lord of the Rings movies is Thranduil. The Elven King is Legolas’ father and sends his son to Rivendell to inform the council of Gollum’s escape from Mirkwood. While this part plays out more or less the same on screen, there is a big area of the War of the Ring that the movies never touch upon.
While Sauron’s forces attack the realms of men in the West, the forces of Dol Guldur invade the Eastern realms. Led by their King, the Elves of Mirkwood once again team up with the men of Dale and the Dwarves of Erebor to fight off the invasion. Given the amount of screen time dedicated to combat in the final two movies though, it’s perhaps understandable why this battle doesn’t feature.
6 Old Man Willow
Shortly after setting out from The Shire, the four Hobbits venture through an old forest. Thanks to an Ent-like creature known as Old Man Willow, the forest is full of hate and anger. His emotions were so strong in fact that they were able to direct all of the forest’s paths towards him. Of course, all of this was cut from the movies.
In the book version of The Fellowship of the Ring, however, three of the Hobbits fall asleep after touching Old Man Willow. Merry and Pippin are eventually trapped within his trunk and Sam and Frodo try desperately to free them, all to no avail. Thankfully, a mysterious stranger rescues the Hobbits by singing the tree to sleep.
5 Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is one of the most notable absentees from the film trilogy and one of the most enigmatic from the books. He’s unfathomably old and has lived through countless ages. Many consider him to be one of the Ainur, the primordial spirits responsible for shaping existence, although his exact age and origins are never revealed.
In the books, Bombadil takes the form of a man. After saving the Hobbits from Old Man Willow, he allows them to rest up at his home. It’s here that his mysterious nature really becomes apparent. Not only is he able to see Frodo while the Hobbit is wearing the Ring of Power, but Bombadil is also able to wear the ring without disappearing. After several whimsical days, the Hobbits set out again towards Bree.
4 The Barrow Wight
Shortly after leaving Tom Bombadil’s house, the Hobbits run into a spot of bother while passing through Barrow-downs. Bombadil had warned them to avoid the place as there were evil spirits there. After accidentally stopping for a spot of lunch on one of the barrows though, the Hobbits are captured by a Barrow Wight. Luckily, Frodo is able to call out to Tom Bombadil, who again rescues the Hobbits and dispels the evil spirits.
The books feature quite a lot of action before the Hobbits ever arrive at Bree that doesn’t make it into the movies. It’s perhaps understandable why Peter Jackson opted to cut so much of this though, especially considering how long the movies ended up being even without them. Ultimately, while certainly exciting, they didn’t play a huge part in shaping the narrative.
3 Glorfindel
Glorfindel is one of the Firstborn Elves and plays a vital role in the early stages of the Lord of the Rings books. Were it not for him, Frodo and his companions would have never made it Rivendell. As well as guiding the group, Glorfindel ensures that Frodo makes it to Rivendell after he is stabbed by the Morgul Blade. He also sits on the council at Rivendell and suggests that the ring should either be given to Tom Bombadil or cast into the deepest ocean.
The movies effectively merged the Glorfindel character with Arwen, which, on reflection, may not have been the worst thing to do. As interesting a character as Glorfindel is, the decision helped to give Arwen a more significant part to play. It also saved a bit of time by reducing the number of character introductions required.
2 The Grey Company
The Grey Company is a group of Dúnedain Rangers with a sworn allegiance to Aragorn. Once the events of the Fellowship of the Ring are underway, Galadriel sends for the company to aid Aragorn on his quest. They follow him, Gimli, and Legolas on much of their journey, including their quest to recruit the Army of the Dead.
Having an additional 31 people traipsing across Middle-earth may well have ruined some of the fantastic on-screen moments between the three companions. Having them participate in some of the battles could have improved the movies though, especially at the Battle for Minas Tirith in which the company’s leader Halbarad is slain.
1 Elladan and Elrohir
Elladan and Elrohir are Elrond’s half-Elven twin sons. They clear a path for the Fellowship prior to their departure from Rivendell and later travel alongside The Grey Company. It is they who relay Elrond’s message regarding the Army of the Dead to Aragorn and they also play a part in the Battle for Minas Tirith. Once the battle is over, they then accompany Aragorn to the Black Gate.
As with Glorfindel, it seems that Elladan and Elrohir’s roles were merged into Arwen’s. Perhaps the cost of including additional Elves was too high. It’s more likely though that the team just wanted to give Arwen’s character more screen time. Given her relationship with Aragorn, they may have felt that a believable and well-developed love interest was more important than two more Elves with hard-to-pronounce names.
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